‘Madras Cafe’ is an intelligent effort not just in terms of making the film, but also marketing it. Apart from a TOI article about Rajiv Gandhi look alike from the movie, the rest of the marketing efforts focused on an army man’s mission during late 1980s/early 90s (when Sri Lanka was in turmoil and India chose to intervene) and the realistic feel attached to it. The movie delivers on these counts and succeeds in telling the story even to the audience who are not aware of the horror of the period or brutal assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. While the first half sets up the period and the political milieu, the second half takes the thriller format with the protagonist having to race against time to foil the plan of his opponents.
Overall a good watch for the audience with a palate for unconventional yet entertaining movies.
Though the movie takes off like ‘Apocalypse Now’ (a distraught army man unable to reconcile with his past), ‘Madras Cafe’ departs into a mainstream mold soon after. Wonder if someone would dare to make a film that actually depicts the horror of ‘war’ itself like in ‘Apocalypse Now’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’ etc.
Related links
